In computer networks, a plurality of network stations are interconnected via a communications medium. For example, Ethernet is a commonly used local area network scheme in which multiple stations are connected to a single shared serial data path. These stations typically communicate with a network switch located between the shared data path and the stations connected to that path. Typically, the switch controls the communication of data packets on the network.
When all of the stations connected to the network are simultaneously operating, packet traffic on the shared serial path can be heavy with thousands of packets flowing through the switch. In many prior art systems, when a problem occurs in the switch or network, the system is merely reset and the data packets being processed by the switch are lost. Troubleshooting what caused the problem is very difficult in such systems since the state of the switch at the time of the failure is not preserved.